Title: Past and Present - Part 4
Author: Aeon Cole
Beta: posting this as I write it so no beta, all mistakes are my own
Rating: FRT
Warning: Slash
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Pairing: Horatio/Speed
Series: Friends and Family
Word Count: 1730
Summary: Horatio and Tim get ready to celebrate their second anniversary as they investigate a murder at Michael's apartment complex. But not everything turns out the way they hope when Michael becomes ill.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I don't normally include Cloe dialogue within the maid body of a story but this time it seemed to fit.
ooo
Horatio called Tim after he packed the cat carrier into the hummer and asked him to meet them at home as soon as possible. He wasn't too sure about bringing another animal into the house without Tim around to wrangle Cloe. But he didn't need to worry. With the traffic what it was at that time of the evening, Tim arrived home long before they did. Before they got out of the car Horatio turned to Michael.
"Just remember what we talked about. Don't cause him any problems or the deal's off," he said.
Michael agreed and they got out of the car. Horatio grabbed the cat carrier out of the back and Oscar meowed at him. He chuckled and said, "Here we go."
He helped Michael to the door and walked inside. Cloe came running up to him but skidded to a stop a few feet away, her nose sniffing the air. Oscar meowed again and Cloe reacted immediately. Her back arched and her fur stood up. She let out a little hiss.
"Tim," Horatio called out. "Need some help here."
Tim walked into the room, took one look at Cloe and started laughing. He scooped the little cat up and balanced her in the crook of his arm.
"All clear," he said. Then he turned to his father. "Hey, dad. Feeling any better."
"Yeah. Sorry I was such a grouch earlier," Michael said.
Tim nodded. "S'okay, happens to all of us." He looked over at Horatio who was still holding Oscar's crate. "You going to put him down? He can't stay in there forever."
Horatio placed the crate on the living room floor and opened it. Oscar poked his head out and sniffed the air. After a moment he walked out of the crate and began sniffing around the room. Tim slowly lowered himself to the floor and sat cross-legged. He placed Cloe down in front of him and kept a close eye on her. It was her house after all.
Oscar casually made his way over to them and as soon as he got close, Cloe's back went up again and she hissed. Oscar just took it in stride and ignored her. He walked up to Michael and started rubbing against his leg.
"What's the matter, old man?" Michael asked. Oscar meowed in response. Michael took a seat on the sofa and patted his leg. "Come on up," he said.
Oscar jumped up onto his lap, curled up and stared purring. Tim picked Cloe up and sat down next to his father. "Now be nice," he said to Cloe.
Hesitantly the little cat ventured over to where Oscar was lying on Michael's legs and began sniffing him, starting at the back end. Oscar swished his tail and nearly knocked her over. Cloe was small, even for an adult cat. She only weighed five pounds. Oscar tipped the scales at fifteen pounds. But he had a good temperament and was a very laid back cat. As Cloe worked her way up sniffing his side, his head popped up and she jumped back. But she wasn't put off for long. She wanted to know what this other cat was doing in her house. Eventually she got close to his head and this time when he looked up she stood her ground and meowed at him.
Michael continued stroking Oscar trying to keep the older cat sedate. When Cloe moved closer and began sniffing around his face, Oscar nudged her with his snout then started licking her. When Cloe purred they knew things were ok.
ooo
Michael wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Can I help with anything?" he asked Tim who was standing at the counter slicing potatoes.
"Sure, if you like," Tim answered. He placed a cutting board on the table. He handed his father a knife and several large cloves of garlic. "I need this cubed."
Michael took the items and set to work. "So, is what Horatio told me about Howie true?" he asked as he chopped.
"I'm afraid so, dad. That phone call he got yesterday was his handler telling him that one of his men was coming to pick him up. They wanted to keep him safe until he was supposed to testify," Tim answered.
Michael shook his head. "You think you know a guy," he muttered.
They worked in silence for a few minutes until Tim finally said, "I can tell you're not feeling too well, dad. Mom can too."
"Garlic's all done," Michael replied completely avoiding Tim's comment.
Tim sighed. "Thanks. Look if you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I just want you to know that we know something's wrong and we're all worried."
Michael stared at the table for a few moments before speaking. "I've been getting these headaches lately and pain in my legs. It's getting harder to walk," he said. He debated with himself for a moment before continuing. "I saw the doc yesterday," he said finally realizing he couldn't put this off any longer. "He says the chemo's not working as well as it should." Tim stopped what he was doing and looked over at his father. "I didn't want to say anything until after your anniversary. I didn't want to spoil it for you."
Tim wiped his hands on a dishtowel and sat down across from his father. "Is the cancer spreading?"
Michael nodded. "But very slowly from what he said. I have to go back on Tuesday for some sort of test for the leg pain but he said they're going to monitor me otherwise."
Tim reached across the table and took his father's hand. "Well I'm glad you told me. We should tell mom and Horatio. They'll want to know."
"Um, Horatio already knows," Michael said hesitantly. Tim raised an eyebrow. "I told him when he picked me up. He didn't give me any choice."
Tim chuckled. "Yeah, he's like that."
"I made him promise not to say anything until after Saturday."
Again Tim raised an eyebrow. "Saturday? What's Saturday?" he asked innocently.
Michael laughed. "Oh, come on. That didn't work when you were six. What makes you think it's gonna work now?"
Tim chuckled. "I don't want to ruin mom's fun," he said. "But seriously, dad, let us help you. That's what family's for."
Michael gave his hand a squeeze. "I promise. I just don't want your mother fussin' over me like she tends to do."
Tim smirked. "I'll talk to her," he said.
A few minutes later Horatio walked into the kitchen talking on his cell phone. "Yeah, ok, I understand. Tomorrow afternoon, yes," he said then snapped the phone shut. "That was one of the marshals. They want to get a formal statement from Michael."
"Well, I've already told you everything I know," Michael said.
"I know, " Horatio replied. "But this is the feds. They have their own way of doing things. They want to talk to you tomorrow afternoon."
Michael shrugged. "Got nothing else to do." He turned his attention to Tim. "Besides, I guess this means I finally get to see where you work."
"If you're feeling up to it, sure," Tim replied. "By the way," he said to Horatio, "where are Cloe and Oscar?"
Horatio chuckled. "Oscar is curled up in the corner of the sofa. Cloe is sitting next to him and staring at him. She hasn't moved since he laid down."
Tim laughed. "I'd love to be privy to that conversation," he joked.
ooo
Back in the living room…
Cloe sat on the sofa a short distance from the other cat. She watched him intently. Finally Oscar looked up at her.
"Whadya want kid? Ya keep starin' at me."
"My name's not Kid, it's Cloe. And why are you in my house?" she asked.
"Who knows, kid? All I know is your human brought me and my human here. Why don't you ask them?"
Cloe huffed. "Are you gonna live here now?"
Oscar laid his head back down on his paws and sighed. "Don't know. I know my current human is sick. Maybe he's giving me to your humans."
Cloe thought about this for a moment before asking, "What do you mean by your 'current' human?"
"I've had lots of humans. Live with them for a bit, then they pass me on. How 'bout you?"
"I've lived with my brown human since he found me," she said.
Oscar picked his head up again and looked over at Cloe. "Found you?" he asked.
"Yeah. I lived with my mother outside until she went away. I was still very little. My brown one found me and took me into the house. I've been with him and his mate ever since."
"Wow," Oscar responded. "You were born outside? You lived outside?"
His reaction to that piece of information surprised the little cat. "Well, yeah. I still go outside, every day. There are two cats next door that I talk to. You'll like them."
"Sorry kid, but I'm a house cat. Outside is just, well, outside. I don't do outside." Cloe cocked her head to one side. "Look, you do what you like, ok. But I've live with humans inside my whole life. And I like it that way. A ceiling overhead and carpet under my feet. I'm simple that way."
"Ok, but I'm telling, you're missing out on a lot of fun," she said.
Oscar sat up. "Your thing, not mine, kid. So, when's dinner around here anyway?"
"Food's in the kitchen, anytime you want it," she answered.
Oscar hopped off the sofa and looked back at Cloe. "What are ya waitin' for? Let's go," he said and trotted off.
ooo
Michael looked down when he felt something rub against his leg. "Hi Oscar. You getting settled?" he asked. Oscar meowed then trotted over to the food dish and started eating. Michael looked up at Tim and said, "I think your going to need a larger bowl for both of them."
Tim looked down and saw Cloe trying to nose her way into the food. He chuckled and pulled a second bowl down from the cupboard. He filled it with food and placed it on the floor. "There you go Cloe," he said. Cloe moved to the other bowl and started eating. "Looks like they're going to get along just fine."
TBC